The Texas Rangers may be sitting in the middle of the AL West race with the Seattle Mariners, but that doesn’t automatically make them a deadline buyer. There’s still a real chance this club could go in a different direction this summer, and that has already pushed some familiar names into the rumor mix.
Corey Seager has even surfaced in trade chatter recently, though it remains too early to know which path the Rangers will choose. One player drawing attention as a possible movable piece is Josh Smith, the 28-year-old utility man who MLB insider Robert Murray of Fansided.com called an “intriguing” trade chip ahead of the August 3 deadline.
“Texas has an intriguing trade piece to offer,” Murray writes. “One possibility that the Texas Rangers could consider is moving infielder Josh Smith to address a different part of the roster.”
Smith brings the kind of flexibility teams love. This season, he has spent most of his time at second base, but he has also seen action in the outfield, at third base and even first base. He has shortstop experience on his résumé as well, which only adds to his appeal for clubs looking for coverage across the diamond.
At the plate, though, 2026 has been a step back. Smith is hitting .230 with a .607 OPS this season, below his .675 OPS career mark. His 80 OPS+ is also off his 96 OPS+ career average, and it falls well short of the 114 OPS+ he posted in 2024 during his Silver Slugger season.
That dip in production doesn’t erase the value he can bring to a contender or a roster in need of depth. Smith remains a versatile left-handed bat with the kind of defensive range that can plug multiple holes.
The Rangers also don’t have to rush anything. Smith is under club control through the 2028 season, so Texas can hold onto him if that’s the direction it prefers. But if the Rangers decide to retool and another team comes calling, Smith stands out as one of the more interesting names to watch before the August 3 trade deadline.
In Other News...
Rangers First Round Report Card Raises Big Questions Before Draft Day
The Rangers first-round track record from the last five drafts is starting to look like a snapshot of where the organization stands heading into another draft cycle: some picks have already moved on, some are climbing, and one of the most gifted young hitters in the system still feels like a work in progress. Gavin Fein is now in the Washington Nationals organization, Malcolm Moore has taken a clear step forward after his recent move to Double-A, and Wyatt Langford remains the most prominent reminder that talent and development do not always move in a straight line.
For Texas, the bigger issue is not just who has produced so far, but which of these first-round bets still has a chance to become a real cornerstone. Moores rise has given the front office something tangible to point to, while Langfords ceiling still keeps the conversation from getting too pessimistic. Even so, the grades leave the Rangers with a familiar draft-day question hanging over them: have they found enough impact at the top of the board, or are they still waiting on the best part of this class to arrive? [Read more 🡒]
One Rangers Pitching Prospect Just Changed The System Conversation
Jesus Lafalaise gave Hickory exactly the kind of start that gets attention inside a system, even on a night when the box score was mixed elsewhere. The right-hander worked five innings, allowed just one run on a solo homer, and piled up nine strikeouts against one walk, the sort of outing that can make a prospect look a little more central to the organizations pitching conversation.
Elsewhere, the returns and rough patches were harder to sort through. David Davalillo was back in full-season action for Hub City and was tagged for five runs in 2.1 innings, including a homer, while Dalton Pence held Frisco in the game with 5.1 innings and only a solo shot allowed. Round Rocks Joe Ross, meanwhile, had a much shorter night, giving up three runs in 0.1 innings, which only sharpened the contrast between the arms trending up and the ones still trying to settle in. [Read more 🡒]